Perception of Fire
by lyssalanai
Summary: While a fire destroys the dojo and surrounding city, Kenshin and the group manage to escape. Through it all, Kenshin begins to show Kaoru how he feels. KK, SM, YT
1. Chapter 1

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's voice rang clear in the morning air, echoing across the dojo. "Kenshin, where are you?" Walking through the house, she stepped in front of Kenshin's room, quietly sliding open the door. "Kenshin?" Quieter now, she realized that Kenshin wasn't in his room. Instantly panic surged through her, and her mind flashed to the worst possible scenario: Kenshin had left.

Running out into the yard, not even putting anything over her sleep yakuta, not bothering with her sandals, she spotted him, standing in the middle of the grass, his sword in hand, staring at the dojo gates. "Kenshin?"

"Hush, Kaoru." His eyes slid briefly to her, then refocused on the gates once more. All at once, she felt why he was so intently focused on the gates. She couldn't describe the feeling, but she knew something was happening; something or someone was headed towards them. "Get Sano and Yahiko." Kenshin's voice broke through her single-minded concentration. "Go, Kaoru, now!"

Finally completely breaking free, she ran back into the house, crying for Sano and Yahiko. Sano, despite the amount he had drunk the night before, jumped up immediately.

"What is it Kaoru?" She pointed towards the outer door, unable to explain what was going on. Understanding, Sano headed outside.

"Yahiko!" Kaoru burst into his room, and ran to shake him awake. "Wake up, idiot!"

"Kaoru, it's the middle of the night!" Shaking her head, she threw his clothes at him, and headed back outside, remembering to put on her shoes this time.

When she got outside, both Kenshin and Sano were staring up, over the walls of the dojo, and, following suit, she too looked up, and was aghast at what she saw. The sky was red, smoky, with almost a painted look. As she watched, every so often, bursts of light further illuminated the sky, like some brilliant western show. A black ball rose quickly to her left, closer than any of the other flashes.

It was then she noticed the smell. The smell of wood burning, and faintly of flesh burning. She heard the sounds, all of a sudden, of people screaming, of cracking timber, and of explosions.

"Kenshin?" He turned to look at her.

"Get whatever is entirely essential, and what you have to save above all else. We leave as soon as possible." He turned to Sano. "Please help her, Sano." Nodding his assent, Sano headed towards Kaoru.

"Come Kaoru, let's get whatever we need." Casting another look towards Kenshin, Kaoru turned about and heading inside.

"Would you please get the plaque from the Dojo?" Know exactly what she wanted, Sano turned towards the dojo, letting Kaoru get whatever she needed from inside. Kaoru stepped inside, and was abruptly run into by Yahiko.

"What's going on?"

"Get whatever you need. We are leaving now."

"But-"

"Now, Yahiko!" Her tone brooked no argument, and with a confused look on his face Yahiko turned to get his things.

After a few minutes, Yahiko and Kaoru met back up with Sano and Kenshin in the yard. Before Kaoru could get a word out, the gates burst open, and Megumi ran inside, Tsubame by her side. "We have to go... Oh. You already know." Shaking her head for a moment, she continued. "We need to go. Now. We were only a few minutes ahead of all of it."

Rather than asking what exactly it was, Kaoru nodded to Megumi and moved to walk by Kenshin. "How did you know, Kenshin?" With a shrug, Kenshin lead them all out the gates and away from the Dojo.

"How did you know Kaoru?" Momentarily stunned by the fact that she had just now realized he had not used any honorifics the entire time since she had found him in the yard. "Kaoru?"

"You weren't in the house." A flicker of amusement crossed his face before he turned back to briefly survey both their small party and how close the disaster was to them.

"Megumi-san, tell me what you saw."

"It was a madhouse. Tsubame made it to the clinic, but it was several minutes before I could get a word out of her." Shifting a glance to Tsubame, Kaoru realized Tsubame had yet to speak, in fact, she seem as though she would rather zone everything around her out for the time being. She was in shock. "She told me we need to leave. Fast. She said, 'They're dead. They're all dead. The fire...' That's the last thing I was able to get out of her. When we left, I saw she was right. We had to go through some of the worst parts of the city to get to the dojo. People were in the streets, charred, one person was on fire when we passed. There was nothing we could do..." Megumi's voice trailed off, leaving Kaoru to realize that being unable to help a person in need was one of the worst cruelties that Megumi could face.

Kenshin apparently realized it to, because he waited a little while before he posed his next question. "Outside of the fire, was anything else out of the ordinary?"

"Men." Megumi answered quickly. "Men who are not from here. With guns and swords." She paused as if in thought. "Not from the government."

Absorbing the information, Kenshin nodded, and focused on the road in front of them.

After a little while, Kaoru glanced back once more, noting Sano staring at Megumi, Tsubame staring at her feet, Yahiko's arm around Tsubame, supporting her. "Kenshin, we need to stop as soon as possible." She whispered.

"Why?" He glanced at her.

"Look at Tsubame's feet." He turned back once more to look at Tsubame, and for the first time he noticed how burnt Tsubame's feet were. She had forgotten her shoes. Or, more likely, hadn't had time to grab them, even if she could have.

"We'll rest for a moment." Kenshin stopped and turned back to his small group. "Tsubame-chan, come here, please." Obligingly, Tsubame stepped forward, still looking at the ground. "Sit, please." Kenshin sat at the same time Tsubame did, and reached forward to grip one of her legs at the ankle, inspecting her feet. "Megumi, do you have any ointments with you? Anything that will help this."

Turning to face Kenshin, and finally looking at Tsubame's feet, Megumi's eyes widened. "Oh my god." She cried, her eyes moving to Tsubame's face. "Tsubame-chan, why didn't you tell me?" With no response from Tsubame, not that Megumi had expected one, Megumi knelt next to Kenshin, pulling a jar of ointment from her sleeve, and the few bandages she had managed to grab, and nudged Kenshin out of her way to go to work on Tsubame.

"Sano, can you carry Tsubame from here?"

Even as Sano nodded, Yahiko said, "I'll carry her." Seeing the resolve on Yahiko's face, Kenshin nodded.

Kenshin turned and looked into the woods, truly noticing his surroundings for the first time since they had left, and wondered why he hadn't noticed something as simple as Tsubame's feet.

Kaoru stared at Kenshin, wondering if she should say anything to him, wondering what had caused this sudden mental separation from the rest of the group.

"Where are we going, Kenshin?" She finally asked. Jerking Kenshin pivoted and faced her.

"I don't know yet Kaoru. For now, I think we should get off the path and get some more sleep, and continue when the sun comes up." Nervously licking her lips, Kaoru nodded.

"Okay Kenshin."

"I'm done." Megumi said, raising her head to look at Kenshin, then Yahiko. Tsubame's feet were completely bound, and Megumi's supplies were put back somewhere in the abyss of her Kimono. "Her feet will heal, but it won't feel good in the process." Attention shifted back to Tsubame, she continued. "No rubbing them, no itching, and no removing the bandages without my say-so." A nod, barely perceptible, was Tsubame's response. "She's in shock. She needs sleep to let everything sink in, to come to terms with what has happened."

"Yes, I know." Kenshin returned, and gestured to the woods. "We're going to find somewhere to sleep out of sight for the rest of the night. We're far enough from the city to be relatively safe. But we still need to stay out of sight."

Yahiko headed for Tsubame, and stooped to pick her up. "Just tell me if you get tired, Yahiko." Sano spoke for the first time on their short journey.

"Stay close." With those woods, Kenshin picked a spot and plunged into the dense woods, holding his hand out for Kaoru to grab. Beckoning for the others to follow, Kaoru took Kenshin's hand and allowed him to lead her, reveling in the simple, familiar touch that he allowed her.

After they had traveled a couple hundred feet into the forest, Kenshin led them into a clearing, where he took off his pack and relieved Kaoru of hers, opening them to begin digging through both for some form of bedding.

End Chapter1

It's been a long time since I've written anything. Three years (or more) ago, I used to write as Alysandrya, however, I have forgotten the password for that account, and no longer have the email address connected to it. If you'd like to read anything I wrote from then, Alysandrya is written as one of my favorites in my profile.

As I said, it's been a long time. Therefore, please don't blast me for mistakes: tell me how to correct them. It would be much appreciated. Also, any ideas are appreciated too. I have no editer, it's just me and myself and MS Word Spell check, so please understand.

Let me know!

Lyssa


	2. Chapter 2

After they had traveled a couple hundred feet into the forest, Kenshin led them into a clearing, where he took off his pack and relieved Kaoru of hers, opening them to begin digging through both for some form of bedding.

After setting up a makeshift camp, Kenshin motioned for Yahiko to set Tsubame down. "Kaoru, come with me." With a look to the others, Kenshin turned and started in the direction of the river.

Glancing helplessly at the others, Kaoru ran after Kenshin, unsure of what was happening. "Kenshin!" Nearly tripping, she called out again, "Kenshin, wait!" He slowed, but didn't stop entirely.

"Come, Kaoru. We need water." Finally catching up with him, Kaoru slowed to catch her breath, massaging her sides as she did.

Suddenly, Kenshin stopped short, grabbing Kaoru by the waist to stop her as well. "Ken..." Turning her head to face him, Kaoru felt her cheeks turn pink. The last time he had held her... The memory flashed bright in the back of her mind, warming her from the inside as his loose embrace warmed her from without.

Staring down at her face, Kenshin found himself in awe at the look of complete trust she had in him. His original intention had not been to embrace her, but rather to keep her from falling into the covered pit that was within inches of their feet. But now, now it was something he hadn't expected.

Abruptly coming to his senses, he released her and stepped back, pain emanating through his body at the hurt look she gave him. "Kaoru-dono, I... there is no excusing my actions, that there is not. I am sorry. I only wanted to keep you from harm." He gestured to the covered pit. "You would have fallen."

"Baka rurouni!" She cried. "Don't you know? Don't you think?" Her eyes, glistening at the edges, glared perfect blue, and she turned to run back to the camp, despite the pain still in her sides, but before she could move, Kenshin grabbed her again.

"I apologize in advance... Kaoru-dono." Violet eyes focused on her, he pulled her to him. "Kaoru-dono." Looking up at him, she watched amber swirl through his eyes not taking hold, but present all the same, and wondered what he really thought of her. There was no time, she supposed, like the present to ask.

"What am I to you, Kenshin?" Had she been smart should would have stopped there. Unfortunately, she didn't. "If I'm just another one of your innocent, weak people to save, leave me be. Don't lead me on out of some false sense of chivalry, Kens-" How many more questions she would have asked she didn't know, because just then, his lips pressed softly to hers, more questioning than answer.

After a moment, he raised his head to stare down at her, uncertainty that she had never before seen in him present, his eyes searched her, and she could feel that same uncertainty in his chi, and wondered if he could feel the answer in hers.

"I apologize again. I should not have taken liberties..." Trailing off, he once more let go of her, again placing distance between them.

"You apologize, you dense man? You APOLOGIZE? What in the name of heaven do you mean by apologizing to me?"

"I know my apologies could never atone-"

This time it was her turn to cut him off. "That is the exact reason that I said you are dense! I don't want your apologies!" She wondered for an instant if they could hear her yelling back at the camp. Then decided she didn't care. "What I want, you baka rurouni, is for you to kiss me again." Despite the fervent declaration, she stated this quietly.

Eyes widened, Kenshin stood completely still, appearing to not even breathe. After a time, he audibly swallowed, and shifted his eyes away from her for a moment to catch his bearings.

Stepping forward, up to Kenshin, Kaoru threw her arms around him, staring up at him again, hoping he didn't reject her once more: she wasn't sure her pride would survive.

Reaching an arm around her waist, he lifted his hand up and touched her hair, then gave a light yank to the ribbon binding it, loosing the hair down her back. "Beautiful..." He whispered, staring at her. "You're beautiful."

Her pride was what she was worried about? Now she was embarrassed, having never had a single person tell her she was beautiful. Other than her father. But he didn't count to her way of thinking.

She shook her head, unsure if she was denying the truth of what he said, or trying to shake the embarrassment away.

"You don't believe, me, Kaoru-dono?"

"How can I Kenshin? How long as it been? How many times before could you have told me how you feel? Why now?" Shaking her head, she stared up at him, searching his face.

"I..." Sighing, he collected his thoughts. "You are so young, Kaoru, so much younger than I."

"I'm not that young!" She interjected angrily.

"Kaoru, I'm ten years older than you! And that's not even the beginning of it! I don't deserve-" He stopped short, noting the redness of her face, knowing that the volcano would erupt soon. "After everything I've done, I've never felt that I'm good enough for you. I've always felt you needed someone without blood on his hands."

"Don't you think that should be my choice?" Crystal clear eyes seemed to penetrate his soul. It was uncanny how she made him feel as if she could see all of his secrets, as if she could look into the darkest corners of his deepest depths. He wished she couldn't see them, he wished he could protect her from everything she had suffered because of him. This was his next point.

"You've never been safe with me! There's always someone who wants to beat the Battousai, to hurt anyone close to me!"

"But you're always there, Kenshin. No matter what happened, you always fixed it. You have always made it right." Inclining his head, and pressing his forehead to hers, he was beginning to realize his arguments were futile. But it wouldn't stop him from trying.

"There's no guarantee that that you'll be safe with me, Kaoru."

"Life has no guarantees, Kenshin. Life is only what you make of it, of hope, and love, and laughter, sadness, family, light and loss." Closing her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts, she opened her eyes to look into his again. "Life is perfect in its own way. But you have to accept who you are and what you've done Kenshin. You have to accept that you can't control everything, you can't protect everyone."

He lifted his head, only to see her tongue dart out to wet her lips. With a tightening in his chest, he once again lowered his head to kiss her, only this time, rather than keeping the kiss light and non-threatening, he delved in, pulling her mouth open by lightly pressing on her chin with his thumb, and invading her mouth bit by bit. He could feel Kaoru press to him, feel her body shiver ever so slightly, could feel his own body respond to hers.

He pulled his mouth away from hers, and wound his hand through her hair again, and pulled her back to him once more, ignoring the thought in the back of his head, the one telling him to stop.

Kaoru, for the life of her, could not fathom what he was doing to her. She knew he was kissing her, yes, but the rest of her; she tingled in places he hadn't even touched, her body was warmed just by being in contact with him. He was doing things with his lips and tongue that she had never experienced; that she had no idea would happen before. She wanted... she didn't know what she wanted. More, she knew that, but more what?

Instinctually, she pressed her hips into his, a soft moan breaking into his kiss. He pulled his mouth away and stared at her in awe. Never had he had a woman respond the way Kaoru was now. With Tomoe it was so matter of fact, so cold. She hadn't even wanted him to kiss her. And here was Kaoru, passionately kissing him back, her body responding in ways her mind couldn't yet comprehend.

Kenshin could feel her hips rubbing against his, and he had to suppress his groan. "Kaoru, stop. Oh God, Kaoru." Oddly to him, his legs felt like rubber. Swallowing hard, he stared at her face, and had to forcibly control himself to keep from panting.

"I'm sorry Kenshin. I didn't mean to hurt you." She thought she'd hurt him? Shaking his head in bemusement he stared at her.

"You daft woman. You didn't hurt me. Just the opposite." Shaking his head in an attempt to clear it, he suddenly realized how far they had come in just a few minutes. "But we need to stop Kaoru. Before we go farther than we want to."

Wide blue eyes regarded him. "Who are you to decide how far I want to go?" Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she gathered her strength. "I want you, Kenshin. All of you."

"I just don't think-"

"You think too much, Kenshin. Maybe it's time to stop thinking." Shaking his head, he moved to put a little space between them.

"No. It's too soon. I want.. I want to do this right for you, Kaoru-dono." Staring at her face, taking in her porcelain skin and pink lips, those cerulean eyes, he continued, "This is the right time. We have too much going on to fully appreciate it." Holding his hand out to her, he turned to lead her to the river.


End file.
